Golf cart umbrella attachment



Feb, 14, 1967 C, R DA'WS 3,304,035

GOLF CART UMBRELLA ATTACHMENT Filed Deo. 29, 1964 Fig. a6 i a,

INVENTOR laude R. Davis ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,304,035 GULF CART UMBRELLA ATTACHMENT Claude R. Davis, 233 Dunlap Court, Jacksonville, Ill. 62650 Filed Dec. 29, 1964, Ser. No. 421,930 1 Claim. (Cl. 248-40) This invention relates to a golf cart umbrella attachment and has for an object to provide an attachment for detachably securing an umbrella to the handle of a golf carrying cart, so as to provide both rain protection and sunshade protection to the ardent golfer.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment for combining an umbrella with the handle of a golf cart so that the umbrella may be placed in protecting position against either rain or sun, and so that the umbrella may be collapsed and then folded down to an out of the way position, thus facilitating it being carried conveniently when not in use against the possibility of need arising therefor.

A further object of this invention is to provide an eccentric umbrella and umbrella shaft especially intended for use in combination with the attachment structure and with a conventional golf cart, which umbrella may be readily detached, and used independently separate from the combination.

A further object of this invention is to provide an umbrella attachment for a golf cart wherein the umbrella can be adjusted into a number of locations relative to the golf cart and can be closed and folded down relative to the golf cart handle so as to occupy a minimum of space and be out of the Way while manipulating the golf cart or the golf clubs.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment for adjustably fastening an umbrella to a golf cart handle wherein the attachment is provided with a multiplicity of telescopic sleeves and adjustable joints to provide a maximum of flexibility on adjusting the position of the umbrella.

A further object of this invention is to provide an eccentric umbrella with an elbow shaped handled shaft portion on the umbrella shaft whereby the connecting end of the elbow shaped portion is at a right angle to the main umbrella portion when in open position, and at a straight angle when closed and folded down to a storage position, and wherein the elbow shaped portion connecting portion may be placed at a straight angle for use as a handle umbrella, the elbow portion serving as a handle.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide the umbrella shaft with a regular polygon shaped end and a telescopic sleeve on the attachment for receiving and holding the umbrella in any one of several rotated positions, the umbrella being eccentric and thus covering different areas when so rotated.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational View of the umbrella, the attachment and the golf cart assembled in operative position.

FIG. 2 is a section on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale, of the clamp and attached telescopic sleeve for securing the attachment to the golf cart handle.

FIG. 4 is a sectional View on line 4 4 of FIG. 2.

There is shown at a conventional golf cart having its usual golf club bag 12 and Wheels 14 arranged to be manipulated in the usual manner by means of the golf cart handle bar 16 which may or may not have an ad- Cice justing joint 18, the handle bar 16 being provided with the usual handle bar grip 20. Such carts customarily have but a single handle bar 16, but if there should be two handle bars, the attachment 22 of this invention, and its eccentric umbrella 24 may be attached as hereinafter set forth to either handle bar, if two be present.

The attachment 22 includes a pair of complementary saddle clamp members 26 and 28 for embracing the handle bar 16. The saddle clamps 26, 28 are preferably internally serrated, either longitudinally as shown at 30, or at any other convenient angle so that, when secured together by four bolts and nuts 34, the saddle clamp will be securely attached to the handle bar 16, preferably as close to the golf cart 12 as possible. Secured, as by welding 36, to one clamp member 28 is a telescopic sleeve 38 provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced aligned apertures 40 for receiving a spring pressed pin 42 located on a telescopic hollow rod 44 receivable within the first telescopic sleeve 38. One part of a two part joint 46, is integrally secured to the rod 44, and the other part is integrally secured to one end of a connecting rod 50. At the other end of rod Si), a similar one part 52 of a two part joint S4 is integrally connected thereto. The other part 56 of the joint 54 is integrally connected to a second telescopic sleeve 58, substantially identical in operation and construction with the first telescopic sleeve 38. Typical sleeve and joint details are best illustrated in FIG. 2. Both parts of the joint 52 are circular and pro- Vvided with complementary serrated faces held in adjusted face-to-face contact by a thumb bolt 60 extending through one part and threaded into the second part. The joints 46, 52 and 18 are all conventional and substantially identical.

A telescopic hollow rod 62, provided with a pin 64, urged outwardly by a spring 66, and held within an aperture through the side of the hollow rod 62 by a flange 68, cooperates with a selected aperture 70 in the second telescopic sleeve 58. The first telescopic sleeve 38 and first rod 44 are substantially identical with this second telescopic sleeve 58 and its telescopic hollow rod 62, and the spring pressed pin 42 is the same as the spring pressed pin 64.

Secured on the end of rod 62 is a ball 72 cooperating with a socket 74 through which extends a thumb set screw 76, the socket 74 being provided on one end of a third but different telescopic sleeve 78. The ball contacting end of the ball and socket thumb set screw 76 is not sharp, but instead will have a friction surface, such as in an automobile brake shoe. If desired, brake shoe friction material may be added to the screw end. Thus, the friction end set screw may be tightened to a degree that will lock the ball and socket against movement, if desired, or loosened a slight bit, to still hold it in position at any set angle and hold the umbrella against shifting, but will still permit the umbrella to be readily tilted. Thus, the umbrella may be readily shifted to one protecting angle when the cart is being moved, and to another protecting angle when the cart is standing still, merely by manipulating the umbrella shaft above the ball and socket joint. The set screw 76 serves to hold the ball and socket joint at any desired angle within limits of its adjustability.

This third but different telescopic sleeve 78 has an internal regular polygonal shape, shown as octagonal in FIG. 4, and one end 80 of an elbow shaped umbrella handle shaft portion is complementary shaped so that it may be received and supported therewithin, its entry being limited by a flange 82 provided thereon. A set screw 84 through the side of telescopic sleeve 78 serves to lock the elbow shaped handle end therein. A groove 86 is provided, if desired, at the proper location on the handle end to provide for secure cooperation with the end of the set screw 84.

At the other end of elbow shaped shaft portion 80 there is provided a coupling 85 for securing the umbrella supporting shaft portion 88 thereto in either of two positions, at right angles, as shown, supporting the umbrella 24 in upright rain or sun protecting position, or, with the umbrella 24 collapsed, the shaft portion 88 will be changed to a straight angle with the adjoining end of elbow shaped portion 80, and thus carry vthe umbrella in folded, horizontal position. By temporarily removing the elbow shaft 80, after loosening thumb set screw 76, it may be reinserted so as to extend forwardly over and above the handle bar 16 and thus be out of the way. By using the joints 46 or 52, or both, extreme flexibility is provided in adjusting the angle and the position of the umbrella in either open or closed position. The ball and socket joint 72, 74 and 76 permit the umbrella to be tilted to the best angle for rain or sun protection. Finally, the umbrella 24 may be removed for separate use when desired by releasing the thumb set screw 84, and by adjusting the snap joint 86 to a right angle. The octagonal end of the handle acts as a usual umbrella handle at an angle to the umbrella shaft. As will be noted, the umbrella 24 is eccentric in shape, and may be constructed in accordance with the disclosure in U.S. Patent 3,042,055, although any other equivalent structure may be used. The distance between the nearest end of eccentric umbrella 24 to the shaft 88 and tip 9i) is preferably one half the distance from the tip to the other end. The first distance may be fifteen inches, while the second distance may be thirty inches as the preferred size. The sleeves, rods and shafts are preferably of aluminum or other `light weight metal, while the joints may be of harder metal to take the wear more readily. By locating the saddle clamp members 26 and 28 on the handle bar 16 as close to the golf cart 12 as possible, the cart will withstand a great deal of pressure with less likelihood of being overturned, as by wind pressure.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

A combination golf cart umbrella and umbrella attachment comprising complementary saddle clamp members for embracing a golf cart handle, a telescopic sleeve secured to one of said clamp members, a telescopic rod adjustably securable within said sleeve, adjustable coupling means secured to said rod', a second telescopic sleeve secured to said adjustable coupling means, a ball and socket coupling telescopically secured to said second telescopic sleeve, an umbrella having an umbrella shaft and shaft end, a shaft end receiving sleeve mounted on said ball and socket coupling, said umbrella shaft end being mounted in said umbrella shaft end receiving sleeve, said umbrella shaft end being polygonal in cross section and said umbrella shaft end receiving sleeve being Complementary thereto, manually operable set screw means for securing said umbrella shaft end in said umbrella shaft receiving sleeve, said umbrella being eccentric and the polygonal cross section of said umbrella shaft end being regular, whereby the umbrella may be set at different angles of rotation to cover diiferent areas adjacent the `golf cart, said adjustable coupling means comprising a connecting rod and an adjustable coupling at each end of said connecting rod, said umbrella shaft comprising an umbrella supporting portion and an elbow-shaped mounting portion, one end of said elbow-shaped portion extending into said umbrella shaft receiving sleeve, the other end of said elbow shaped portion having an adjustable coupling connection to said umbrella supporting portion for supporting said umbrella supporting portion4 in either a straight angle or a right angle relation to said other end of said elbow-shaped portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 278,973 6/1883 Kizer 248-40 840,241 l/l907 Nootbaar 248-41 1,053,337 2/1913 Williams 248-40 2,165,967 7/1939 Haupt 135--46 2,822,143 2/1958 Johansen 248-41 2,905,187 9/1959 Croce 13S-46 FOREIGN PATENTS 359,459 10/1931 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner'.

JOHN PETO, Examiner. 

